Fall is stink bug season. Here’s how to get rid of them and keep them from coming back. FULL STORY⬇️

Fall is stink bug season. Here’s how to get rid of them and keep them from

If stink bugs are suddenly appearing on your windows, walls, or curtains, fall is probably to blame. As temperatures drop, these pests look for warm places to shelter through winter. Here’s how to remove the ones already inside, keep more from coming in, and avoid the mistake that can make the problem worse.

To sort out fact from fancy, we reached out to Dr. Chris Hayes, director of theWhy Stink Bugs Suddenly Appear in Fall

Stink bugs are usually outdoor pests during the spring and summer. They feed on plants, including garden vegetables and crops, but they become more noticeable indoors when nights begin to cool.

“Starting in September, they start moving inside, into structures and anywhere they can find warm shelter,” says Hayes.

As soon as you start to get a few cold nights, stink bugs enter a phase that’s called “diapause.” This is when, according to Chris, they would naturally tend to cluster in hollow logs or trees, out of the way of predators and frost. “Then they slow their body way, way, way down. They stop feeding. And that allows them to survive until spring.”

The timing varies depending on where you live, but stink bugs may begin moving indoors in late summer or early fall and remain hidden through winter.What Do Stink Bugs Look Like?

Stink bugs have a distinctive shield-shaped body. The brown marmorated stink bug is usually mottled brown and gray, with lighter markings along the edges of its abdomen.

There are many native stink bug species, but the brown marmorated stink bug is invasive and can be especially troublesome because it has few natural predators in the United States. Stink bugs generally do not bite or sting people, but they can damage plants outdoors.

What Attracts Stink Bugs to a Home?

In late fall, they are primarily looking for a place to shelter. They may be drawn to warm, sunny sides of a home, then gather around windows, eaves, soffits, attics, and other upper areas. Bright lights can also attract them, which is why you may notice them around exterior lighting or windows at night.

Fortunately, they’re not typically there for food, so you don’t have to worry about leaving food out, as you would with other pests. “I don’t want to say you’d never see a stinkbug eat a fruit,” says Chris. After all, that’s what they eat outside. “But most of the time, by the late fall, they’re they’re not concerned with feeding, just surviving.”